


Mirror Mirror on the Wall...

by FallenLightVillain



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: I made the spirit up, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Spirit World shenanigans, besides an animal, literally not based on anything
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:33:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26054257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallenLightVillain/pseuds/FallenLightVillain
Summary: A spirit decides to put the Gaang and Azula's group to the test. Will they be able to pass it? Will they even know how? Sokka doesn't know, but he does know one thing. He apparently doesn't know a thing about what he's supposed to do in the spirit world.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	1. The Mirror

**Author's Note:**

> Stop writing and posting new WIPs challenge failed.

“So this is the spirit world?” Azula droned, glancing around at the misty space that they were all stuck in, “Not impressive is it? It’s a misty swamp, why are people so worried about this?”

Sokka glared, wanting to agree but it was  _ Azula _ and he wouldn't do that. He would rather treat the spirits like Gran-Gran did than ever agree with Azula. He’d rather go all spiritual than agree with Azula ever.

"Yeah, but…" Aang looked around and frowned, "Why are all of us here?"

"Well…" Katara said, glancing around, “Maybe we were just too close when a spirit wanted to talk to you Aang? Or it could be like when Hei Bai snatched Sokka…”

Sokka grumbled at that, glancing around, “Well it doesn’t look like when that happened.”

“Oh, it’s not,” The voice that cut through their conversation was warm but shockingly chilling to hear.

The group as a whole whip around, everyone going on the defensive and slightly moving together. Faced with… a man?

The man wasn’t particularly tall, but he had the illusion of overshadowing them. Smiling in what Sokka thought was a gentle way, but it didn’t change things. He was overtly unnerving from the moment Sokka saw him.

His hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, but it was extremely long and pure white. It reminded him of Yue almost, with how youthful the other’s face was. Feathers and beads were decorating where it was tied, the feathers were white like his hair though, making them hard to distinguish. The beads though were black, a stark contrast to the paleness of his hair. The guy was almost completely dressed in white with small variations of black marking where his clothes laid. He had extremely pale skin, which was frankly offputting. His eyes were a liquid black though, surrounded by what looked like sharp black makeup, making them even more shocking. He smiled still, his expression placid.

“Who are you?” Azula’s voice was cold and proud, lifting her chin.

The man looked at her, expression gentle and otherwise unreadable, “I’m Juko.”

The sharp intake of breath from Aang was enough for Sokka to look, the younger already letting his guard drop. Sokka remained stiff, but Katara let herself slowly relax.

“Aang?” Her voice was nervous, and with a glance Ty Lee - he was sure that was the right one - didn’t look much better.

“He’s a spirit,” Aang said, which made sense, “A spirit known for well…”

Sokka frowned, “For?”

“Most say he’s mischievous, others say he’s… uh,” Aang looked awkward, glancing at the man.

“Cruel? Capricious? Treacherous?” The man didn’t seem offended when Aang nodded in agreement to his words, “I don’t care. Most would also agree that I’m cold. It’s nothing new.”

Sokka found that strange because from the moment he met the spirit he’d seemed warm. He wondered if that said something about him.

“Well, he’s known for creating illusions and causing chaotic situations,” Aang said quietly, “By dragging the living into the spirit world.”

The man suddenly seemed more menacing than before, despite having nothing but a calm, gentle look about him.

“Well, we’re not staying,” Sokka declared.

“You don’t get to choose,” Juko said, pointing at him, “Besides, this isn’t a joke or game. This is serious.”

They all shifted, watching him and suddenly Azula surged forward in a firebending form, only for nothing to happen.

“Was anyone going to tell her that bending doesn’t work in the spirit world?” His tone was dry, staring at the princess, “Or was this intentional?”

Her face colored, but she just hissed as Mai tensed next to her, “And attempting to  _ stab _ a spirit, would be even more foolish. We don’t have time for this, are you ready?”

“Ready?” Katara spoke up, fingers gripping Aang’s shoulder, “Ready for what?”

He sighed, looking annoyed as he lifted his hand and waved. Their surrounding changed, suddenly in a cave of some sort, the damp walls shining in some unnatural light. There wasn’t much there, just a large mirror. They all stared at it and then Juko.

“What do we do with it?” Sokka asked.

“This is your task,” Juko said, lifting a hand to halt words before they came, “Look in the mirror as a group.  _ All _ of you. It's kind of a test. You look in and prove yourself. You can have each other's backs… or go it alone. The choice is yours."

“I don't trust you," Toph declared.

"Good, I've had people die doing this or be forever trapped in the illusion," Juko declared, no sense of regret about him.

"And if we refuse?" Azula said, smirking as if she’d won already.

His smile widened, expression going from gentle to devious in a heartbeat. It was jarring and Katara grabbed Sokka's sleeve. Clearly leaving her scared as well. Everyone seemed to have sensed it.

"Then you can't ever leave," His voice turned silky, "Ask the Avatar. He can't get you out. You're in  _ my _ world, now get moving."

Aang's grim expression told Sokka all he needed to know. He couldn't get them out. They were at the mercy of a spirit that was called cruel. He wouldn't hesitate to keep them in the spirit world forever. So they had to play the game he had set up, even if he denied it was a game.

“One last piece of advice,” The spirit said, “This has the habit of shattering illusions. You should remember that I don’t stand for lies. Not even if you’re lying to yourself.”

They all looked at each other, carefully moving into a group, Azula and her followers keeping a slight distance from them, but close enough to be in the mirror with them.

To Sokka’s surprise, it was quick to change, the surface starting to ripple right before it lunged at them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Looks like their journey starts... at the Southern Air Temple?

Sokka blinked as everything cleared up, wondering for a moment if the spirit had been joking and had just spit them out wherever he pleased. He quickly realized that it couldn’t be true though. Because of where they were or maybe more accurately...

When they were.

Sokka looked around the Southern Air Temple and how full of life it was. It had so many people, laughing and playing. Sokka took a breath and shook his head. This was strange, but he had to keep a clear head. He glanced at Aang, who looked pained. He had to keep a clear head for him. He would need the backup and Sokka was sure that this wasn't going to be easy for him.

He suddenly wondered again what the spirit had meant with what he'd been saying. These illusions had the habit of refusing to let lies slide because he hated lies? Something like that.

So what happened here to Aang for him to send them here?

He looked around, hesitating as he looked at the younger again, "You know we're here for you right?"

He watched Aang look back up, his expression relaxed a bit more.

"Thanks Sokka, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do here, but I'm sure I'll figure it out," He watched Aang seem to get some confidence back.

"Well, maybe we should walk around?" Katara suggested, then glanced back at Azula's group, "Though..."

"I doubt the spirits would be happy if we all started fighting," Ty Lee said, shrugging, "I'm not going to anger the spirits."

Mai shrugged a little herself and Azula just looked annoyed. She made a motion at Aang with a sigh.

"If the Avatar is the one this is meant for, he's leading us around I suppose," She crossed her arms and looked around a little.

"I guess that means someone's gonna help me a bit more?" Toph sounded annoyed, "I can't see well here."

"Here," Sokka said, reaching out and taking her hand, "You can walk with me."

She grumbled, but moved to his side, Sokka looking at Aang, "We'll follow you."

Aang started off, looking around at all the people and greeting them as they passed by. They returned the greetings, smiling a little more as they did. It was like the rest of them weren't even there. Obviously the illusion was catered to Aang.

"Monk Gyatso!" Sokka suddenly heard and watched Aang throw himself forward to greet the old man. He remembered seeing his statue and Aang talking about him when they visited the Southern Temple. The old man looked happy to see Aang, returning the hug he was given and then looking him over a little.

"It's so good to see you again Aang," Sokka froze, wondering what that was about, "I see your time at the Eastern Temple has done you good."

Aang froze up at that too, but he managed a tense smile and a nod, "Yeah! I'm gonna walk around and talk to the others, but I'll come see you again soon!"

The man bowed, Aang returned it before he started to walk off. He hurried, but he was looking around. Eventually they came to a mostly empty spot and he turned to look at them with wide eyes.

"I've never spent a lot of time at the Eastern Temple," He said quickly, eyes wide and confused, "This never happened."

Sokka frowned, nodding, "The way he said it seemed odd, what is this then?"

They all stopped, looking at each other and he found Azula staring at Aang with a calculating look on her face.

"So this is the Southern Temple?" She suddenly asked, looking at Aang, "And the people here seem convinced that you spent time at the Eastern Temple?"

"Well, yeah," Aang shrugged, "I was raised here, the Eastern Temple is almost exclusively nuns. I'm not sure why..."

Aang suddenly looked pained, expression dropping, "Oh yeah..."

"Aang?" Katara walked over, putting her hands on his shoulders, "What's wrong?"

"I was going to be sent to the Eastern Temple for the last bit of my training before..." He made a motion and Sokka got the gist of what he was saying.

"So we're seeing what would have happened... if you stayed?" Katara suggested after a moment, "That doesn't seem too bad. We can probably get through this quickly."

Sokka didn't think it would be that easy, but he didn't want to upset Aang, especially when he smiled at Katara. No one else seemed convinced either, but Azula and her friends were blissfully quiet about it. She looked at him, raising a brow and he scowled at her. He hoped she'd keep her mouth shut and not ruin it.

\----------

Most of their time was spent wandering, Aang responding to greetings. At some point their clothes had shifted, all of them wearing what looked like the traditional clothes for their respective nations, just old-fashioned. They were being greeted now as well. It was like the illusion had needed time to figure out what it was doing. Now that they were obviously part of it, it was doing its best to help them fit in. They were guests here, being treated well by everyone who saw them.

Suddenly Sokka froze, looking around as heads started to lift. He slowly followed where they were looking, focusing on the sky and felt the horror of what he was seeing set in after only a few moments.

It was the comet, streaking across the sky and it was terrifying to know what that meant.

This wasn't just any day. This was the day that the Air Nomads were caused to go extinct. This was the day that everything went wrong.

Sokka turned to Aang quickly, watching his eyes widen and then started to look around in a panic. He understood and he was freaking out.

Aang started to run and everyone ran after him.

"Aang, come back!" Katara yelled.

"What's happening?!" Toph yelled, trying to keep up without having clear sight.

"Oh, you can't change it, just get back here!" Azula snarled, keeping pace with the rest.

Sokka was just doing his best to follow Aang. He paused, looking at his surroundings and he recognized where they were going. This was where...

"He's trying to find Gyatso!" He yelled, watching Katara's eyes go wide with understanding.

"What's wrong with him finding some old man?!" Toph screeched at him.

"He saw his skeleton when we visited the Southern Temple!" He yelled, "He entered the Avatar State! If he actually sees him die-"

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" The voice was less familiar, probably Mai.

The group tried to speed up, but keeping up with an airbender in the Air Temple was a near impossibility, especially with all the panicking Air Nomads surrounding them. They were trying to flee he noticed. None that he could see were even attempting to defend themselves.

Suddenly it looked less like anything other than a massacre. He knew that the Air Nomads were peaceful, but he thought at least a couple would have at least defended. Instead, they seemed to focus their energy on fleeing.

He groaned as they came to another blockade of people in their way. They wouldn't reach Aang in time. He didn't know how many fallen airbenders there were, but he kept his focus forward.

Pushing through the mass of people was hard, but what he saw next was just plain disturbing. The Fire Nation soldiers in front of them were cutting down everything in their path. It didn't matter that the people they were attacking were peaceful or that they were trying to flee and not attack anyone.

It was sickening. He glanced at the others and found that they seemed as focused on moving as they could be. Even Azula's group had tense expressions. Except for Azula, who's eyes had gone narrow, calculating.

"How far to wherever you found the monk's body?" She yelled, to be heard over the panic.

"It's not too far, but we can't reach them!" He yelled back, "Aang will get there first!"

She scowled, but looked over the crowd then at the bending around them. Her eyes flashed and she suddenly kicked forward, leaving a trail of flames.

Everyone froze, then she nodded, "You, earthbending girl!"

"My name is Toph!" She yelled back, but turned in the direction of Azula's voice, "What do you want?!"

"Can you create a path? Pushing the people apart!" Sokka heard and he understood.

Earthbending might be able to get them through if they were lucky. Toph hesitated, shifting her feet and then looked determined. She let go of his arm to suddenly drop into an earthbending stance and push her hands forward. As the earth moved it pushed the people apart. It seemed to unbalance people, but hardly anyone reacted.

This wasn't meant for them, so they were treated like they were hardly there.

"Come on, before they make it hard again!" Azula said, darting into the path.

The rest followed, Sokka taking the lead again. He panicked after a moment, looking back only to find Ty Lee gripping Toph's hand and pulling her along. He turned back to lead them to the right area.

By the time they reached it, Sokka was sure they were too late. He stared at Aang, who was pushing against what was probably an invisible barrier made of wind. He surged forward, grabbing his shoulder only to find him staring desperately at where Monk Gyatso should be.

Sokka realized that there was no sound coming from within the sphere of air and that there was a considerable amount of wind coming off of it. It was more than a barrier, it was to keep something out.

'Or in,' He thought grimly, remembering the bodies of the Fire Nation soldiers that weren't quite able to touch the body.

"Aang, we should go!" He yelled, trying to turn the boy back to face him, "There's nothing we can do here!"

"I won't abandon them again!" Aang yelled back, fighting from his grip.

He looked back, wondering if anyone was going to help him, but they all looked as lost for what to do as he felt. He looked at Aang and then the sphere. If Gyatso was so strong, how had the Fire Nation taken him down?

He backed up, trying to think, "What's going on in that head of yours, you peasant?!"

He glared at Azula, who was staring him down, "Something's off, something about what we saw that day!"

"Well?!" She yelled back, looking annoyed, "What was so weird?! Was it anything weird that you can figure out?!"

"There were a bunch of Fire Nation bodies in there with him!" He closed his eyes, "So he fought back! He had to have! But how did he-"

Sokka's eyes flew open and he looked at the tent and Aang's desperation. He shivered, realizing what was wrong. It was messed up even to consider though, so he just pressed his mouth into a firm line.

"Just say it!" Azula screeched, grabbing onto Ty lee as the wind picked up.

The Fire Nation girls had a hold of Toph, trying to keep their footing. Katara had grabbed onto Sokka, staring desperately at Aang.

"Gyatso's clothes weren't burned!" He finally yelled, looking at the rest of the group, "Nothing was burnt! He didn't get killed by the Fire Nation attack! He killed himself by removing all the air from the area around him and the soldiers!"

He saw the looks of shock pass over the group as they looked back at the barrier. Even Azula looked astonished, staring at the area as the wind finally started to die. Aang burst through the entrance and the rest quickly followed.

Seeing the old man laying on the ground like that was disturbing, so Sokka tore his gaze away and focused on Aang.

"I couldn't help him!" He yelled, curling up in the middle of the tent, "I was here and I still couldn't help him!"

Katara went to his side, but he just pulled away from her hands. He looked horrified and was crying. Sokka moved to his side as well as he kept getting upset that he couldn't help despite being right there. Everyone else was being perfectly quiet, but then the worst started to happen. He watched the bright light coming from Aang and Katara desperately trying to calm him down.

"Aang, please!" She said, trying to keep him from doing anything.

Instead, the wind picked up again and he started to hover. Sokka groaned, trying to reach him when a different hand snatched his robes without a word.

"Alright, I've had enough!" Sokka stared with wide eyes at Azula, who had her hand twisted in Aang's clothes, "I don't give a single fuck if you're the Avatar! I don't care what you think happened, but none of this was real! If it was real then you completely missed the point! You couldn't have helped them! So why are you stuck on it?!" She yanked on his clothes hard, "So quit your little tantrum and think! You did everything within your power and nothing changed?! So that means nothing was meant to change!"

"Aang!" Katara yelled, reaching to grab his clothes as well, "Gyatso knew what he was doing! You said he was an amazing airbender! He knew what that would do!"

"He made his decision!" Sokka tried, managing to reach his arm, "So you can't go blaming yourself for that!"

The light started to flicker and Aang slowly dropped. Sokka let out a sigh, eyes closing as he slumped into Katara, still crying.

Sokka looked around, seeing the destroyed Air Temple. The only thing even slightly intact was a pond with some sort of sleeping bird in it. What sort of bird just slept through an attack of that caliber?

"What now?" Aang asked, rubbing his eyes, looking at them, "What do I do now?"

"You realize that sometimes things are out of your control," Ty Lee piped up, "No matter how badly you want them to be. You did your best and you're just a kid, you can't be to blame for everything that happened."

"How do we move out of here?" Sokka grumbled, looking around, "Any mirrors around here Aang?"

"Yeah," He stood up, "I know where there's one we should all fit into."

\----------

As they found the mirror they all let out a collective sigh. They grouped up in front of it, looking into the surface that gave a quiet ripple before it once again lunged at them.

As they blinked in the light, Sokka looked around before his expression went from confused to shocked, "Suki!"

"Sokka!" She looked relieved, returning the hug, "Who was that spirit?"

"I don't know, he seems to be trying to teach us a lesson," He said, pulling back, looking next to her, "Jet."

"Sokka," He returned, looking over at the others, "Is Aang okay?"

"Yeah... he just had to watch the Air Temple attack," He watched Jet flinch, sympathetic, "So he's shook up."

"And... them?" The distaste in his voice was clear, glaring at Azula and the others.

"Spirit threw us all in together, suppose we're gonna have to play nice until it's over," He said, scowling at them too.

He paused as he looked around, "First off, this isn't anywhere I know, so this isn't for me or Katara. It doesn't look like Kyoshi either."

"It's not," Suki said, tilting her head, "Looks like a mansion."

"It's Ty Lee's house," Mai said, drawing attention, then looking over only to stop, "Ty Lee?"

Azula's head whipped around, "Ty Lee?"

"Fuck, looks like we're right back into this," He muttered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fuck it, I want Jet and Suki so here come Jet and Suki. They'll have their own chapters, just like I'm planning for everyone else.


End file.
